NEPA

I got this great new job. I'm working at a consulting firm and we do contract work for the government. Not a bad thing, maybe I'll even get to make a difference somewhere along the way. Small difference I'm sure :) So I'm working on NEPA stuff. That would be National Environmental Policy Act, for those non-governmental individuals. Something that I've wanted to point out is about the "categorical exclusion (cx)." Or even the idiots that try to use it to get around doing an Env. Assessment (EA) or an Env. Impact Statement (EIS). So, what is a CX? It's an "action that has been determined to have no significant effect on the human environment and for which there therefore, neither and EA nor and EIS is required." You can find that quote right in the NEPA document. So what the heck does that mean? Well, it means that there are things that federal agencies can do without having to fill out an EA or EIS. BUT, they have to report what they are doing, in the form of a CX. The stuff that falls into the CX category are things like routine maintenance, painting buildings, repairing roads, data gathering, etc. Ya get the drift? If there is any construction involved, generally an EA or and EIS is required. Now here's the fun part. There are several things that determine if and EA or EIS are needed, and believe it or not, human impact and historical impact are considered. Seriously!! If some federal agency or company paid by the federal gov't, wanted to put a new steam heating system down the middle of downtown Colonial Williamsburg, they'd have to fill out an EA or and EIS. Understand? If those same people wanted to put a wind farm in the middle of Central Park, NY they'd have to fill out an EA or EIS. And guess what? After that, the PEOPLE/PUBLIC get to comment on the proposed project. Yes, people, YOU have an impact on the crazy crap that the government does!! Okay, so I got a little off topic there. I was going to point out that some people try to get around the EA & EIS process cause they are lazy, or cheap, or both. An EA or EIS takes at least a year and can cost thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the project size. So there are companies that try to sneak things past the government checkpoints to get projects approved without appropriate study. And of course, I'm sure there are government jerks that pass things through as a CX cause they are getting a little something on the side. Which makes me sad. Cause really, what's more important? A little extra money now, or the fact that your kids generation will go extinct cause you pushed something through that you shouldn't have? hmmm, now there's a thought. But then, I guess, some people are just big jerks and care for nothing but themselves, so there isn't anything we can do.....